The mechanical separation of various meat and bone combinations to produce a high quality meat product is a well established industry. Apparatus for such separation processes are common. These apparatus generally are one stage strainers in which a combination of meat and bone is forced through a perforated screen so as to separate the meat from the bone. However, it is common for some bone material to also pass through the screen and be included in the recovered meat product. The bone calcium content in the recovered product often exceeds government and industry standards.
Therefore, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a process and an apparatus for the mechanical separation of meat from bone to a degree at least sufficient to meet government and industry standards.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a process and apparatus for an efficient and economical mechanical separation of meat from bone.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a process and apparatus that will remove in excess of 98% of bone from a meat and bone combination.
A further objective of the present invention is a process and apparatus for the mechanical separation of meat from bone without significantly increasing the temperature of the meat.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a second meat strainer that can be used in combination with a conventional one stage meat strainer to further separate meat from bone.